by Mick the Ram

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson who was callously gunned down from behind outside the Hilton hotel in Mid-town Manhattan around dawn on 4 December.

Luigi Mangione was spotted by a member of the public at a McDonald’s in the town of Altoona, Pennsylvania, which is around 280 miles (450km) west of New York City, after 5 days of evading capture despite a massive manhunt.

It transpired that it was complete luck that the killer was picked up, because he was not amongst a list of suspects that the police were tracking.

After appearing in court and being denied bail it emerged that Mangione comes from a prominent family in the Baltimore area and his involvement was a complete shock to family and friends.

Police have confidently advised the media that the shooting was pre-planned.

Ghost gun

When the arrest was made, Mr Mangione was found to be in possession of a so-called ghost gun, a largely untraceable firearm which could have been 3D-printed – and a loaded magazine with six rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Additionally there was a handwritten document that indicated “motivation and mindset”, according to police.

Fake ID

When officers arrived at the fast-food outlet, Mr Mangione apparently showed them a fake New Jersey driver’s licence with the name Mark Rosario on it.

The Baltimore native was said to then became quiet and start to shake when an officer asked if he had been to New York recently.

Chilling note discovered

When he was told he would be arrested if he lied about his name, he did give his real name and when asked why he lied, he told officers that “I clearly shouldn’t have”.

A search was then conducted of his backpack which uncovered the weapon and the three-page handwritten document which suggested he harboured “ill will towards corporate America”, with the note stating: “these parasites had it coming” and “I do apologise for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done”, so said senior officials.

Consistent with murder weapon

He was also carrying several IDs, including a US passport and the fraudulent New Jersey ID that was used to check into the New York City hostel, where the suspect was seen before the shooting.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the weapon and suppressor seized by investigators from the suspect were “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder” of Mr Thompson.

Multiple charges

In his brief court appearance, as well as murder, Mr Mangione was also charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

Prosecutors also said he was carrying $10,000 in cash, with $2,000 of it in foreign currency, although Mr Mangione did disputed that fact.

5-day manhunt

The cold-blooded shooting last week triggered a huge manhunt, with New York City investigators using one of the world’s largest digital surveillance systems, together with police dogs, drones and divers in a Central Park lake to search for the attacker.

It was therefore remarkable that it was simply an ordinary McDonald’s customer who recognised the suspect from media coverage and alerted an employee, who then tipped off the authorities.

Family statement

Mr Mangione’s last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii, and his family are said to be “shocked and devastated” by these developments.

A statement was released on social media posted by Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione. Who is the suspect’s cousin. It read: “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved”.

“Super smart”

It has surfaced that as a teenager, Mr Mangione attended a private all-boys school in Maryland, where he was class valedictorian, a title usually awarded to students with the best grades.

He went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania  where he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science. A friend who attended the Ivy League college at the same time described him as a “super smart person”.

Went off radar

Several posts to an account on X that appeared to belong to Mr Mangione suggest that friends had been trying to reach him, with one person posting in October that “nobody has heard from you in months”.

Sadly for Mr Thompson the whole world now knows of his whereabouts.